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betfred online gambling 34 Lives Rescues 34 KidneysNutraceutical Ingredients Market Growth Drivers, Industry Overview, Opportunities, Emerging Trends, Leading Players, Recent Development, and Forecast - 2029 12-18-2024 08:18 PM CET | Business, Economy, Finances, Banking & Insurance Press release from: ABNewswire MarketsandMarkets� Nutraceutical Ingredients Market by Type (Proteins, Amino Acids, and Probiotics), Application (Food, Beverages, Animal Nutrition, Dietary Supplements, Food For Special Medical Purposes (FSMP)), Form, Function, & Region - Global Forecast to 2029 The [ https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nutraceutical-ingredients-market-worth-136-1-billion-by-2029--exclusive-report-by-marketsandmarkets-302209617.html ] is poised for substantial growth, with an expected valuation of USD 136.1 billion by 2029, up from USD 105.2 billion in 2024, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.3%. Factors driving this growth include changing dietary preferences due to urbanization and fast-paced lifestyles. According to an April 2024 report by the Food Institute, the "snackification" trend is gaining momentum, particularly in urban areas where longer commutes and heavier workloads make convenient, on-the-go food options more appealing. Approximately 67% of consumers now prefer smaller, more frequent meals, further fueling this shift toward convenience. Image: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Images/nutraceutical-ingredient-market60.jpg Artificial Intelligence (AI) is also transforming the nutraceutical ingredients market by accelerating the discovery and production of bioactive compounds, enhancing R&D efforts. For example, in April 2023, ADM (US) partnered with Brightseed (US) to leverage AI for decoding gut microbiome interactions, using Brightseed's AI platform, Forager, to develop advanced synbiotic products. This illustrates AI's role in advancing probiotics and prebiotics for precision health solutions. Nutraceutical Ingredients Market Opportunities [ https://www.marketsandmarketsblog.com/the-future-of-wellness-analyzing-the-nutraceutical-ingredients-industry.html]: Nutraceuticals as Alternatives to Pharmaceuticals The growing preference for natural, preventive healthcare solutions over synthetic drugs presents significant opportunities within the nutraceutical ingredients market. Vitamins, minerals, herbal extracts, and probiotics are widely regarded as safer alternatives with fewer side effects, enhancing their appeal. As chronic disease rates rise and the global population ages, there is increasing demand for health-promoting products, particularly for conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and gastrointestinal disorders. By 2030, the World Health Organization estimates that one in six people globally will be 60 or older, further driving the demand for nutraceuticals as alternatives to pharmaceuticals. Regulatory support from bodies like the FDA and EFSA has also played a crucial role in promoting nutraceutical products, particularly regarding health claims, which encourages companies to innovate and expand their product offerings. Additionally, technological advancements such as microencapsulation and nanotechnology have improved the bioavailability and effectiveness of nutraceutical ingredients, helping them compete with traditional pharmaceuticals. Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=1319 Proteins, by Type, Accounted for the Largest Share in the Nutraceutical Ingredients Market Proteins play a critical role in human health, supporting muscle-building, tissue repair, enzyme production, and immune function. As a result, they are extensively incorporated into food and beverage products, dietary supplements, and animal feed. According to a December 2021 article by Glanbia PLC, Ireland, soy and dairy proteins continue to lead in global fortification volumes due to their cost-effectiveness and nutritional completeness. The demand for plant-based proteins like pea and wheat is also rising, driven by the increasing preference for non-GMO and allergen-free options. Consumer trends emphasizing sustainability, ethics, and dietary diversity are driving the adoption of plant-based proteins in North America and Europe. These proteins have become key components in products like sports nutrition and infant formulas due to their quick absorption and muscle-building properties. Technological advancements in protein fortification further enable manufacturers to meet varying consumer needs, supporting the growth of functional foods and personalized nutrition solutions. Dry Form Ingredients Dominate and Show the Fastest Growth Dry forms of nutraceutical ingredients offer key advantages, including stability and extended shelf life, which are crucial for preserving the potency and efficacy of sensitive bioactive compounds like vitamins, minerals, and botanical extracts. Additionally, dry ingredients are easier to handle, store, and transport, reducing logistical complexities and costs. These properties make them particularly attractive for manufacturers seeking operational efficiency and waste reduction. Dry forms are widely used across various product formats such as capsules, tablets, and powdered beverages, catering to diverse consumer preferences for convenience and ease of use. For instance, powders and granules can be seamlessly incorporated into beverages, baked goods, and other food products, ensuring minimal disruption to texture or taste, which helps maintain consumer acceptance. Make an Inquiry: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=1319 Asia Pacific: The Fastest-Growing Region for Nutraceutical Ingredients The Asia Pacific region is experiencing rapid growth in the nutraceutical ingredients market, driven by increasing health consciousness and rising disposable incomes in countries like China, India, and Japan. Urbanization has led to changes in lifestyles, promoting preventive healthcare measures and boosting demand for functional foods and dietary supplements. According to the FAO, in the "Asia and the Pacific Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2023 - Statistics and Trends," rising food costs are exacerbating malnutrition, with 232.8 million people unable to afford a nutritious diet. The region continues to face severe food insecurity, particularly in Southern Asia, where over 809 million people experience moderate to severe food insecurity. This highlights the growing need for affordable, health-promoting nutraceutical solutions. Top Nutraceutical Ingredients Companies [ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/nutraceutical-ingredient-market.asp]: The nutraceutical ingredients manufacturers in this market include Cargill, Incorporated (US), ADM (US), International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (US), BASF SE (Germany), Arla Foods amba (Denmark), Associated British Foods plc (UK), dsm-firmenich (Switzerland), Ingredion (US), Tate & Lyle (UK), Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (Japan), and Chr. Hansen A/S (Denmark). Cargill, Incorporated (US) Cargill, Incorporated manufactures specialty food and feed ingredients, and other industrial products, for use in various applications. The company operates through four business segments: animal nutrition & protein, food ingredients & applications, origination & processing, and industrial & financial services. Under its food ingredients & applications and animal nutrition & protein businesses, it manufactures various nutraceutical ingredients. These ingredients, which include proteins, omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, and prebiotics, assist food and beverage manufacturers, feed manufacturers, food service companies, and other retailers. Cargill, Incorporated operates in around 70 countries and sells in almost 125 countries, across all the geographies such as North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. ADM (US) ADM caters to multiple business segments such as food & beverage ingredients, industrial ingredients, biofuels, feed & feed ingredients, and naturally derived alternatives to industrial chemicals. The company has four major operating segments such Ag services & oilseeds, carbohydrate solutions, nutrition, and others. Its nutrition segment manufactures, sells, and distributes a variety of nutraceutical ingredients-derived from natural sources. ADM has a strong geographic presence globally, with over 62 different innovation centers, 327 processing plants, 520 crop procurement facilities, and distribution in close to 200 other countries in Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa, South America, and North America. Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=1319 About MarketsandMarkets Trademark MarketsandMarketsTM has been recognized as one of America's best management consulting firms by Forbes, as per their recent report. MarketsandMarkets Trademark is a blue ocean alternative in growth consulting and program management, leveraging a man-machine offering to drive supernormal growth for progressive organizations in the B2B space. We have the widest lens on emerging technologies, making us proficient in co-creating supernormal growth for clients. Earlier this year, we made a formal transformation into one of America's best management consulting firms as per a survey conducted by Forbes. The B2B economy is witnessing the emergence of $25 trillion of new revenue streams that are substituting existing revenue streams in this decade alone. We work with clients on growth programs, helping them monetize this $25 trillion opportunity through our service lines - TAM Expansion, Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy to Execution, Market Share Gain, Account Enablement, and Thought Leadership Marketing. Built on the 'GIVE Growth' principle, we work with several Forbes Global 2000 B2B companies - helping them stay relevant in a disruptive ecosystem. Our insights and strategies are molded by our industry experts, cutting-edge AI-powered Market Intelligence Cloud, and years of research. The KnowledgeStore Trademark (our Market Intelligence Cloud) integrates our research, facilitates an analysis of interconnections through a set of applications, helping clients look at the entire ecosystem and understand the revenue shifts happening in their industry. Media Contact Company Name: MarketsandMarkets Trademark Research Private Ltd. Contact Person: Mr. Rohan Salgarkar Email:Send Email [ https://www.abnewswire.com/email_contact_us.php?pr=nutraceutical-ingredients-market-growth-drivers-industry-overview-opportunities-emerging-trends-leading-players-recent-development-and-forecast-2029 ] Phone: 18886006441 Address:1615 South Congress Ave. Suite 103, Delray Beach, FL 33445 City: Florida State: Florida Country: United States Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/nutraceutical-ingredient-market-1319.html This release was published on openPR.Mumbai, Dec 28 (IANS): Despite stock market volatility amid geo-political uncertainties, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) remained net investors in India so far this year, as the country’s economy showed tremendous resilience, market watchers said on Saturday. For 2024 (till December 27), FIIs sold equity for Rs 119,277 crore through the exchanges. In contrast to this selling trend, they invested Rs 120,932 crore through the primary market, said experts, citing data from the National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL). “This means FIIs are net investors in India so far this year. The selling through exchanges is mainly due to the high valuations and investing through the primary market is mainly due to the fair valuations,” said Dr V.K. Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Financial Services. The selling spree by FIIs seen in October and November declined in December. There has been occasional buying by FIIs in early December but they turned sellers again, though not on a sustained basis like in October and November. “An important characteristic about FII investment is that they have been consistent investors of equity through the primary market. In December through 27th, FIIs invested Rs 17,331 crore through the primary market,” said Kumar. This trend of selling through the exchanges and buying through the primary market is discernible in the year-long trend in 2024. In the debt market, FIIs have invested Rs 112,409 crores so far this year, as per the NSDL data. According to market experts, FIIs may again turn sellers into equity in early 2025 since the dollar has been appreciating (dollar index is above 108) and the US 10-year bond yields are attractive at around 4.4 per cent. “FIIs will turn buyers in India when there are indications of growth and earnings recovery,” they added. Manoj Purohit, Partner and Leader, Financial Services Tax, Tax and Regulatory Services, BDO India, said that after a couple of months of continuing hefty burnouts, the capital markets witnessed a comeback from the foreign fraternity this month. The feather in the cap is the record-breaking investments via the FDI route thereby crossing the $1 trillion mark. “The return of foreign participants to India market can be attributed to various factors. Primarily, on the macro front, the recent policy announcements in the US impacting the peer countries, settling geopolitical situation among Middle East countries, the well-controlled inflation, and interest rate check,” Purohit explained.

Amundi US Declares Monthly Distributions for the Pioneer Closed-End FundsKansas holds off Auburn for No. 1 in AP Top 25 as SEC grabs 3 of top 4 spots; UConn slides to No. 25 Kansas continues to hold the No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll. Auburn is pushing the Jayhawks in the latest poll after winning the Maui Invitational and checked in at No. 2. Two-time reigning national champion UConn nearly fell out entirely after an 0-3 week at Maui, falling from No. 2 to 25th. The Southeastern Conference had three of the top four teams with No. 3 Tennessee and No. 4 Kentucky behind the Tigers. The poll featured six new teams, headlined by No. 13 Oregon, No. 16 Memphis and No. 18 Pittsburgh. TCU, Duke climb into top 10, Notre Dame drops in women's AP Top 25; UCLA and UConn remain 1-2 TCU has its best ranking ever in The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll after a convincing win over Notre Dame. The Horned Frogs jumped eight spots to No. 9, the first time the school has ever been in the top 10. The Fighting Irish, who were third last week, fell seven spots to 10th after losses to TCU and Utah. UCLA remained No. 1, followed by UConn, South Carolina, Texas and LSU. USC, Maryland and Duke are next. How to sum up 2024? The Oxford University Press word of the year is 'brain rot' LONDON (AP) — Oxford University Press has named “brain rot” its word of the year. It's defined as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state,” especially from consuming too much low-grade online content. Oxford University Press said Monday that the phrase “gained new prominence in 2024,” with its frequency of use increasing 230% from the year before. It was chosen by a combination of public vote and language analysis by Oxford lexicographers. The five other word-of-the-year finalists were demure, slop, dynamic pricing, romantasy and lore. Oxford Languages President Casper Grathwohl said the choice of phrase “feels like a rightful next chapter in the cultural conversation about humanity and technology.” Scientists gather to decode puzzle of the world's rarest whale in 'extraordinary' New Zealand study WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Scientists and culture experts in New Zealand have begun the first-ever dissection of a spade-toothed whale, the world's rarest whale species. The creature, which washed up dead on a beach on New Zealand's South Island in July, is only the seventh specimen ever found. None has ever been seen alive at sea. Almost nothing is known about it but scientists, working with Māori cultural experts, hope to answer some of the many lingering questions this week, including where they live, what they eat, how they produce sound and how this specimen died. Hong Kong launches panda sculpture tour as the city hopes the bear craze boosts tourism HONG KONG (AP) — Thousands of giant panda sculptures will greet residents and tourists starting on Saturday in Hong Kong, where enthusiasm for the bears has grown since two cubs were born in a local theme park. The 2,500 exhibits will be publicly displayed at the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui, one of Hong Kong’s popular shopping districts, this weekend before setting their footprint at three other locations this month. The displays reflect Hong Kong’s use of pandas to boost its economy as the Chinese financial hub works to regain its position as one of Asia’s top tourism destinations. Violent hit on Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence 'has no business being in our league,' coach says JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence was carted off the field after taking a violent elbow to the facemask from Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. It prompted two sideline-clearing scuffles. Lawrence clenched both fists after the hit, movements consistent with what’s referred to as the “fencing response,” which can be common after a traumatic brain injury. Lawrence was on the ground for several minutes as teammates came to his defense and mobbed Al-Shaair. Lawrence eventually was helped to his feet and loaded into the front seat of a cart to be taken off the field. He was not transported to a hospital. He was quickly ruled out with a concussion, though. Al-Shaair and Jaguars rookie cornerback Jarrian Jones were ejected after the first altercation. Big Ten fines Michigan and Ohio State $100,000 each for postgame melee ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) — The Big Ten Conference has announced it fined Michigan and Ohio State $100,000 each for violating the conference’s sportsmanship policy for the on-field melee at the end of the Wolverines’ win in Columbus .A fight broke out at midfield Saturday after the Wolverines’ 13-10 victory when Michigan players attempted to plant their flag on the OSU logo and were confronted by the Buckeyes. Police used pepper spray to break up the players, who threw punches and shoves. One officer suffered a head injury when he was “knocked down and trampled while trying to separate players fighting." The officer was taken to a hospital and has since been released. Marshall Brickman, who co-wrote 'Annie Hall' with Woody Allen, dies at 85 NEW YORK (AP) — The Oscar-winning screenwriter Marshall Brickman, whose wide-ranging career spanned some of Woody Allen’s best films, the Broadway musical “Jersey Boys” and a number of Johnny Carson’s most beloved sketches, has died. He was 85. Brickman died Friday in Manhattan, his daughter Sophie Brickman told The New York Times. No cause of death was cited. Brickman was best known for his extensive collaboration with Allen, beginning with the 1973 film “Sleeper.” Together, they co-wrote “Annie Hall," “Manhattan” and “Manhattan Murder Mystery." The loosely structured script for “Annie Hall,” in particular, has been hailed as one of the wittiest comedies. It won Brickman and Allen an Oscar for best original screenplay. 'Moana 2' sails to a record $221 million opening as Hollywood celebrates a moviegoing feast NEW YORK (AP) — “Moana 2” brought in a tidal wave of moviegoers over the Thanksgiving Day weekend with $221 million in ticket sales. Studio estimates Sunday show that, combined with “Wicked” and “Gladiator II,” made for an unprecedented weekend in cinemas. “Moana 2" blew predictions out of the water, setting a record for Thanksgiving moviegoing. At the same time, the sensation of “Wicked” showed no signs of slowing down with $117.5 million over the five-day weekend. “Gladiator II” collected $44 million. For an industry that’s been battered in recent years by the pandemic, work stoppages and streaming, it was a triumphant weekend that showed the still-potent power of Hollywood’s blockbuster machine. College football players scuffle after flags come out following rivalry wins It was flag day in college football. Michigan, North Carolina State and Florida celebrated road wins by displaying flags on the logos in the middle of their rivals’ stadiums. Arizona State put its own twist on the day with a trident. The results were predictable. Michigan scuffled with Ohio State after a group of Wolverines attempted to plant their flag in the middle of Ohio Stadium. There was a similar scene in North Carolina after at least one N.C. State player tried to plant a Wolfpack flag on UNC’s home field. And another skirmish in Florida after Gators edge rusher George Gumbs Jr. planted a flag on Florida State’s logo.

Shohei Ohtani is a three-time MVP and a World Series champion . Now he’s about to add another title. Daddy. Ohtani posted to his Instagram account Saturday, announcing the upcoming birth of his and wife Mamiko’s first child. “Can’t wait for the little rookie to join our family soon!” he posted under a photo of a pink onesie and baby shoes – with the family dog, Decoy, lying next to the baby gear. Ohtani offered no more details about the baby’s expected arrival – in keeping with the way he guards his private life. In February, Ohtani announced his marriage on Instagram without including any details about the wedding, not even the date, nor his wife’s name, referring to her only as “a normal Japanese woman.” “She is a Japanese woman,” Ohtani said through an interpreter when he announced the marriage during spring training. “I don’t really feel comfortable talking about when I got married exactly, but she’s a normal Japanese woman.” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts joked at the time that Ohtani had kept the marriage such a secret even from his teammates that no one had a chance to shop for wedding gifts. Mamiko Tanaka’s identity was eventually uncovered by the media and she was photographed with Ohtani during the Dodgers’ March trip to South Korea. The couple made occasional appearances together at events throughout the season and were recently spotted together at a Lakers game. Tanaka turned 28 earlier this month and has an athletic background of her own. She played college basketball in Japan and played four seasons professionally for the Fujitsu Red Wave. Ohtani underwent surgery on his left shoulder shortly after the end of the World Series. He partially dislocated the shoulder on a slide during Game 2 against the Yankees. The injury is not expected to prevent him from opening the 2025 season in the Dodgers’ lineup as their designated hitter. But the interruption of his throwing program necessitated by the shoulder rehab will prevent him from being ready to return to pitching until after the season starts. The Dodgers are again scheduled to start the season overseas. They will play two games against the Chicago Cubs at the Tokyo Dome on March 18 and 19. The domestic opener is scheduled for March 27 at Dodger Stadium against the Detroit Tigers.Charles F. Dolan, a media and telecommunications pioneer who founded Cablevision Systems Corp., has died, a family spokesperson said Saturday. He was 98. Dolan first changed the landscape of television in the 1960s, when he laid cable in lower Manhattan and gambled that people would pay for programs superior to those broadcast for free over the air. He went on to found Home Box Office Inc., later known as HBO, American Movie Classics and launched the country’s first 24-hour cable channel for local news, News12. “He’s one of the pioneers of cable television and one of the most brilliant people there is when it comes to programming and seeing what’s ahead,” Ted Turner, the founder of CNN, told Newsday in 1990. On Saturday, the Dolan family, in a statement sent by a spokesperson, said, "It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved father and patriarch, Charles Dolan, the visionary founder of HBO and Cablevision." Dolan died of natural causes and was surrounded by his loved ones at the time of his death, according to the family. From breaking news to special features and documentaries, the NewsdayTV team is covering the issues that matter to you. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy . "Remembered as both a trailblazer in the television industry and a devoted family man, his legacy will live on," the family said. Cablevision purchased Newsday Media Group in 2008. Newsday is now owned by Dolan's son, Patrick Dolan. The senior Dolan, whose primary home was in Cove Neck Village in Oyster Bay Town, expanded beyond television to own a controlling stake in companies that owned Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers. The teams and sports and entertainment venues are now owned by The Madison Square Garden Company, whose CEO is Charles Dolan's son James L. Dolan. At the center of Charles Dolan's holdings was Cablevision of Bethpage, which he founded in 1973 and built into one of the nation’s largest broadcasting companies. Dolan passed day-to-day control of Cablevision to son James in 1995. But the senior Dolan remained chairman of the board until the company was sold to Altice in 2015 for nearly $18 billion. Charles Dolan in 1979. Dolan had just announced a new cable network in Queens. Credit: Newsday/Dick Yarwood Dolan had the reputation of being soft-spoken and reserved. He rarely granted interviews. And for years he eschewed chauffeurs and drove his own car, despite being one of the richest men in America. He was married for 73 years to Helen Ann Dolan, who died last year . They have six grown children and lived on a 5-acre waterfront estate, where for decades they hosted annual July Fourth fireworks displays that attracted hundreds of onlookers who watched from boats in Long Island Sound. Despite his courtly demeanor — he spoke so softly in meetings that people sometimes couldn’t hear him — Dolan had a reputation for pursuing deals with patient yet intense fervor, sometime taking years to get what he wanted. Competitors said he waited decades for a chance to buy Madison Square Garden. When the opportunity arrived, he leapt with abandon. “I call him bulldog Dolan,” former Univision chairman Andrew Jerrold “Jerry” Perenchio told the Los Angeles Times in 1994. Charles Dolan was born in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, one of four boys and the grandchild of Irish immigrants. His father, David J. Dolan, was an inventor who created a steering wheel lock to deter would-be thieves from making off with Model T Fords. He died of cancer in 1943, when Charles was 16, leaving him and his brothers to be raised by their mother. By then, Charles Dolan was already pushing into the media business. He earned $2 a week writing a column on the Boy Scouts for the Cleveland Press. Dolan worked at a radio station in high school, served briefly in the Air Force in the waning days of World War II, and returned to Ohio and enrolled at John Carroll University. It was there, in logic class, that he met his future wife, Helen Burgess. Dolan quit college before graduating and started a sports newsreel business out of the couple’s apartment. Using their kitchen as a studio, Dolan and his wife pasted negatives on the cabinets and cobbled together highlight films that they would sell to stations around the nation. The operation, however, made little money. Dolan sold the business to a competitor, Telenews, in 1952, essentially trading his customers for a job with the company in New York City. Charles and Helen Dolan moved east. In 1954, Dolan took a job with Sterling Television, where he helped launch a project to wire Manhattan with coaxial cable to deliver news and tourism programs. In the mid-1960s, cable television was a media backwater, confined to rural areas too remote for airborne signals. The conventional wisdom was that no one in a city or suburb would pay for television programs when they came free with an antenna. “No one but Chuck Dolan ever thought cable would amount to anything outside poor reception areas,” said Perenchio, the former Univision executive. In 1965, Dolan persuaded the New York City Board of Estimate — which at the time governed the five boroughs — to award him the franchise to wire the southern half of Manhattan. Dolan tapped Time Inc. and others for backing, then began the massive task of installing underground cable amid the warren of buildings. Once it was in place, Dolan’s company, Sterling Manhattan Cable, needed to find a way to attract subscribers. He turned to sports. In 1967, he struck a deal with Madison Square Garden to offer Knicks and Rangers playoff games. At the time, home games were blacked out by regular television. So the only way to watch was having a seat at the Garden — or subscribe to Dolan’s system. “I remember walking down Third Avenue, and every bar was filled to overflowing,” Dolan said in Wired to Win, a 2003 book about the early days of cable. “They were all wired for cable and showing the games people couldn’t see on regular broadcast television. It was wonderful.” But profits were a long way off, and it would take more than sports to keep cable afloat. Dolan, who was deeply in debt, needed more money to develop programming with broader appeal. So in 1972, while aboard the Queen Elizabeth II for a family vacation, Dolan holed up in his cabin with an old typewriter and began to write. As the ship steamed east toward France, he banged out the blueprint for a national pay-television channel that he hoped would convince Time Inc. — which already owned 20% of Sterling Manhattan Cable — to invest more money and take the company to the next level. He called it “The Green Channel.” America would come to know it as HBO. The idea was to broadcast a mix of movies and sporting events and syndicate to other cable systems around the country. Time Inc. was impressed, and the channel launched in November 1972. Nonetheless, Dolan’s company struggled to turn a profit. His relationship with Time Inc. soured. In 1973, Time Inc. bought out the company, including HBO. In exchange for relinquishing control, Dolan walked away with Time’s fledging cable system in Nassau County, with 1,500 subscribers. “That was the beginning of Cablevision Systems Corporation,” Dolan said in the book “Wired to Win.” Over the next decades, Dolan built his subscriber base, launched subsidiaries and developed programming, including the SportsChannel, American Movie Classics, Bravo and others. He expanded into Brooklyn, the Bronx, Connecticut, New Jersey and elsewhere. He took Cablevision public in 1986 but maintained a majority stake. “I have to admire the way Chuck has built his company and retained control,” Liberty Media Corporation chairman John C. Malone told the Los Angeles Times in 1994. “It’s really miraculous.” In 1998, Dolan helped found The Lustgarten Foundation in Uniondale, after Cablevision vice chairman Marc Lustgarten was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at age 51. The foundation is now the nation’s largest private supporter of pancreatic cancer research. Dolan also served as a trustee of Fairfield University in Connecticut, where the business school is named after him. And despite never graduating from John Carroll University, he gave the school $20 million in 2000 to build a science and technology center. Dolan is survived by sons Patrick Dolan, Thomas Dolan and James Dolan; daughters Marianne Dolan-Weber, Kathleen Dolan and Deborah Dolan-Sweeney; and 19 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Funeral arrangements were pending. With James T. Madore, Joe Ryan and Dandan ZouScience Olympiad Foundation to announce IMO 2024-25 results soon: Know how to check rankings and win prizes

Tsuruha Holdings Inc. ( OTCMKTS:TSUSF – Get Free Report ) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 60,600 shares, an increase of 72.6% from the November 30th total of 35,100 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 606.0 days. Tsuruha Stock Performance Shares of OTCMKTS TSUSF opened at $55.00 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $55.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $59.07. Tsuruha has a 12-month low of $55.00 and a 12-month high of $60.71. About Tsuruha ( Get Free Report ) Read More Receive News & Ratings for Tsuruha Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Tsuruha and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

It's a sad day in markets as long-time CNBC voice Art Cashin is dead. He was truly one of the best analysts. He was in the trenches for a long time and was full of wisdom. His title was UBS’ director of floor operations at the New York Stock Exchange and was a CNBC regular for 25 years. We followed his comments often at ForexLive and the last time I mentioned him was in 2022 when there was talk of China opening up and wrote: Here are some of his memories from 1987. Eamonn also covered a great line from his during the last Trump administration: CNBC wrote a wonderful obituary for him and it pains me to see one of the true old-timers gone. Here was one from 10 years ago after he spent 50 years at the NYSE. That much market knowledge lost is a real tragedy. RIP.By Funto Omojola, NerdWallet Mobile wallets that allow you to pay using your phone have been around for well more than a decade, and over those years they’ve grown in popularity, becoming a key part of consumers’ credit card usage. According to a “state of credit card report” for 2025 from credit bureau Experian, 53% of Americans in a survey say they use digital wallets more frequently than traditional payment methods. To further incentivize mobile wallet usage, some credit card issuers offer bonus rewards when you elect to pay that way. But those incentives can go beyond just higher reward rates. In fact, mobile wallets in some ways are becoming an essential part of activating and holding a credit card. For example, they can offer immediate access to your credit line, and they can be easier and safer than paying with a physical card. OK, but let’s start with bonus rewards From a rewards perspective, it can make a lot of sense to reach for your phone now instead of your physical card. The Apple Card offers its highest reward rates when you use it through the Apple Pay mobile wallet. Same goes for the PayPal Cashback Mastercard® when you use it to make purchases via the PayPal digital wallet. The Kroger grocery store giant has a co-branded credit card that earns the most when you pay using an eligible digital wallet, and some major credit cards with quarterly rotating bonus categories have a history of incentivizing digital wallet use. But again, these days it’s not just about the rewards. Instant credit access Mobile wallets like Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and PayPal can offer immediate access to your credit line while you wait for your physical card to arrive after approval. Indeed, most major issuers including Bank of America®, Capital One and Chase now offer instant virtual credit card numbers for eligible cards that can be used upon approval by adding them to a digital wallet. Additionally, many co-branded credit cards — those offered in partnership with another brand — commonly offer instant card access and can be used immediately on in-brand purchases. Credit cards typically take seven to 10 days to arrive after approval, so instant access to your credit line can be particularly useful if you need to make an urgent or unexpected purchase. Plus, they allow you to start spending toward a card’s sign-up bonus right away. Convenience and safety As issuers push toward mobile payments, a growing number of merchants and businesses are similarly adopting the payment method. The percentage of U.S. businesses that used digital wallets increased to 62% in 2023, compared to 47% the previous year, according to a 2023 survey commissioned by the Federal Reserve Financial Services. Wider acceptance is potentially good news for the average American, who according to Experian has about four credit cards. While that won’t necessarily weigh down your wallet, it can be hard to manage multiple cards and rewards categories at once. Mobile wallets offer a more efficient way to store and organize all of your workhorse cards, while not having to carry around ones that you don’t use often. They can also help you more easily monitor your spending and rewards, and some even track your orders’ status and arrival time. Plus, paying with a digital wallet offers added security. That’s because it uses technology called tokenization when you pay, which masks your real credit card number and instead sends an encrypted “token” that’s unique to each payment. This is unlike swiping or dipping a physical card, during which your credit card number is more directly accessible. And again, because a mobile wallet doesn’t require you to have your physical cards present, there’s less chance of one falling out of your pocket or purse. More From NerdWallet Funto Omojola writes for NerdWallet. Email: fomojola@nerdwallet.com. The article Activating Your Credit Card? Don’t Skip the Mobile Wallet Step originally appeared on NerdWallet .

BASEBALL Major League Baseball American League BOSTON RED SOX — Agreed to terms with RHP Walker Buehler on a one-year contract. BASKETBALL National Basketball Association NBA — Suspended Dallas F Naji Marshall four games without pay and Phoenix C Jusuf Nurkić three games without pay for their involvement in an on-court altercation in a Dec. 27 game. FOOTBALL National Football League ARIZONA CARDINALS — Elevated RB Michael Carter and S Andre Chachere to the active roster. ATLANTA FALCONS — Elevated CB Lamar Jackson and OL Tyrone Wheatley Jr. to the active roster. Placed CB Antonio Hamilton Sr. on injured reserve. Signed ILB Josh Woods to the active roster. CAROLINA PANTHERS — Placed RB Chuba Hubbard on injured reserve. GREEN BAY PACKERS — Elevated S Omar Brown from the practice squad. MINNESOTA VIKINGS — Activated LB Ivan Pace Jr. from injured reserve. Waived LB Jamin Davis. TENNESSEE TITANS — Signed G Arlington Hambright, LB Raekwon McMillan and K Matthew Wright from the practice squad. Waived CB Tre Avery and Gabe Jeudy-Lally. Elevated OL Chandler Brewer and S Gervarrius Owens from the practice squad. HOCKEY National Hockey League ANAHEIM DUCKS — Recalled G Calle Clang from San Diego (AHL). BOSTON BRUINS — Recalled F Fabian Lysell from Providence (AHL). CAROLINA HURRICANES — Recalled D Ty Smith from Chicago (AHL). DALLAS STARS — Recalled F Justin Hryckowian from Texas (AHL). FLORIDA PANTHERS — Returned F Rasmus Asplund to Charlotte (AHL). LOS ANGELES KINGS — Placed F Trevor Moore on injured reserve. MONTREAL CANADIENS — Placed G Caydne Primeau on waivers. NASHVILLE PREDATORS — Recalled F Vinnie Hinostroza from Milwaukee (AHL). Acquired F Ondrej Pavel and a 2027 third-round pick from Colorado in exchange for F Juuso Parssinen and a 2026 seventh-round pick. OTTAWA SENATORS — Placed F David Perron and G Anton Forsberg on injured reserve. Recalled D Nikolas Matinpalo from Belleville (AHL). WINNIPEG JETS — Placed F Daniel Torgersson on waivers. COLLEGE UCONN — Signed football head coach Jim Mora to a two-year contract extension.

Michael Reagan | Pause His Social Media for a MonthTait-Jones scores 21 as UC San Diego defeats James Madison 73-67By Jason DeParle, New York Times Service WASHINGTON — Homelessness soared to the highest level on record this year, driven by forces that included high rents, stagnant wages and a surge in migrants seeking asylum, the federal government reported Friday. The number of people experiencing homelessness topped 770,000, an increase of 18% over last year and the largest annual jump since the count began in 2007. The report, released by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, showed that homelessness rose by a third in the past two years, after declining modestly over the previous decade. While the report cited multiple reasons for the recent rise, including the end of pandemic-era measures to protect the needy, Biden administration officials, on a call with reporters, emphasized the role of asylum-seeking migrants who overwhelmed the shelter systems where much of the increase occurred. The officials argued that, since the annual count occurred in January, the migrant crisis had begun to abate. “This data is nearly a year old and no longer reflects the situation we are seeing,” Adrianne Todman, the acting housing secretary, said in a prepared statement. The government does not track the migration status of homeless people, so it is hard to disentangle the twin crises of domestic poverty and foreigners fleeing troubled lands — distinct challenges with different solutions. But the record-breaking rise in unhoused people is likely to widen the growing partisan divide over homelessness policy. Democrats typically blame housing costs, flagging wages and scarce rental subsidies, while supporting Housing First policies, which house the chronically homeless without requiring treatment for mental illness or substance abuse. Many Republicans seek cuts in housing aid and other social services and blame what they call liberal permissiveness. They want to require unhoused people to seek psychiatric or substance abuse help as a condition of support. President-elect Donald Trump has called for clearing cities of encampments and for placing unhoused people into camps. “This is just a horrible increase, and it shatters any myth that Housing First is working,” said Robert Marbut, who served as the federal homelessness coordinator during Trump’s first term. He dismissed the idea that migration was the primary reason homelessness rose. Nearly every category of unhoused people grew, with the rise especially steep among children (33%) and people in families (39%). The number of people in shelters rose by about a quarter, while unsheltered homeless rose 7%. The rise in homelessness among older adults continued as well, with a 6% growth in those 65 or older. The report found that veterans were the lone group to see a decline in homelessness last year. That continues a long-term trend driven by bipartisan support for housing and services for the politically popular group, a collaboration at odds with the rancor of the broader homelessness debate. The number of homeless veterans fell by 8% last year. More than a third of people experiencing homelessness — 274,000 — sleep in cars, encampments and tents under bridges, places where the risks of violence and illness are especially high. While California has recently been the epicenter of the homelessness crisis, homelessness there rose just 3%, much less than the national average. The state has invested tens of billions in recent years in housing and services. Dennis Culhane, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania who has long advised the government on homelessness data, said that about three-quarters of the increase in homelessness occurred in the four states hit hardest by asylum-seekers — New York, Illinois, Colorado and Massachusetts — along with Hawaii, where wildfires in Maui fueled mass displacement. Absent migration and natural disasters, he said, homelessness would likely have risen by single digits. “I’m concerned that people are going to misinterpret this report and think there’s been a big rise in domestic homelessness,” he said. “These numbers shouldn’t be used to attack Housing First.” Among the evidence pointing toward migration as a driving force, he said, were timing (the rise began with the surge in asylum-seekers in 2022), location and ethnicity. The number of Latinos experiencing homelessness grew by almost a third, nearly twice the national rate. Chicago and Denver are among cities reporting sharp declines in shelter populations since the January count. Some analysts, conservative and progressive alike, said that focusing on migration hides the larger issues at play, including economic inequality and homelessness policy. “As long as we are still in an affordable housing crisis, we are going to continue to see an increase in homelessness,” said Ann Oliva, CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, an advocacy group that supports increased spending on homeless services. Oliva noted that homelessness grew among some groups, unlikely to include many recent asylum-seekers. They include the chronically homeless, whose numbers have grown nearly 20% over two years, and families in rural areas. Other advocates have quietly warned that emphasizing the presence of migrants in shelters could increase their risk of deportation. Stephen Eide of the conservative Manhattan Institute argued that migration did less to drive homelessness than to expose the flaws of the services system, which encourages people to enter shelters to get aid. “To some extent, homelessness policy can create homelessness,” he said. Conservatives have grown increasingly critical of Housing First policies, which guide federal aid and once enjoyed bipartisan support. Supporters say the approach is backed by evidence showing that Housing First policies get troubled people off the streets and save lives. Most veterans programs use the approach, and homelessness among that group has fallen by more than half over the past 15 years. But conservatives, including many faith-based service providers, say the approach allows people to avoid taking responsibility for their problems and leads to repeated bouts of homelessness. Housing First’s dominance of federal aid, they say, discourages innovation. “We’ve stopped treating mental illness and substance abuse,” Marbut said. This article originally appeared in The New York Times . Be civil. Be kind.

Zing, a new entrant in the fast-paced food delivery segment, has launched its services in Gurugram . The start-up has been co-founded by Tarun Arora and Rachit Sahi. Arora is the ex-COO of Inshorts while Sahi has previously worked with companies like Flipkart . The venture also has the backing of Azhar Iqubal, the founder of Inshorts and a judge on Shark Tank India . With a 10-minute delivery promise, Zing is revolutionizing the food delivery landscape with advanced AI-driven demand forecasting. Zing's approach to food delivery The company's business model comprises hyper-local kitchens, an optimized menu, and cutting-edge technology. To reduce transit times, Zing has strategically located cloud kitchens preparing meals near customer locations. The menu includes a range of popular and quick-to-prepare dishes. Zing's future plans Zing expects to deliver over 1,200 orders by the end of this month as it scales up its kitchens. Despite worries of people consuming more processed and junk food with fast delivery times, Zing promises its focus will remain on delivering 'fresh meals.' Currently catering to select Gurugram sectors, the start-up plans to expand to other cities soon.NASA Spots Red-Glowing 'UFO Galaxies' Hidden In Depths Of Space

HEICO Corporation ( NYSE: HEI ) Q4 2024 Earnings Call Transcript December 18, 2024 9:00 AM ET Company Participants Laurans Mendelson - Chairman and CEO Eric Mendelson - Co-President & President of Flight Support Group Victor Mendelson - Co-President & President of Electronic Technologies Group Carlos Macau - EVP and CFO Conference Call Participants Larry Solow - CJS Securities Scott Mikus - Melius Research Ken Herbert - RBC Capital Markets Gautam Khanna - TD Cowen Sheila Kahyaoglu - Jefferies Scott Deuschle - Deutsche Bank Noah Poponak - Goldman Sachs Michael Ciarmoli - Truist Securities Pete Skibitski - Alembic Global David Strauss - Barclays Ron Epstein - Bank of America Louis Raffetto - Wolfe Research Operator Welcome to the HEICO Corporation Fourth Quarter 2024 Financial Results Call. My name is Samara, and I will be your operator for today's call. Certain statements in this conference call will constitute forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks, uncertainties, and contingencies. HEICO's actual results may differ materially from those expressed in or implied by those forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause such differences include the severity, magnitude and duration of public health threats, such as the COVID-19 pandemic; HEICO's liquidity and the amount and timing of cash generation; lower commercial air travel, airline fleet changes or airline purchasing decisions, which could cause lower demand for our goods and services; product specification costs and requirements, which could cause an increase to our costs to complete contracts; governmental and regulatory demands, export policies and restrictions, reductions in defense, space or homeland security spending by US and/or foreign customers or competition from existing and new competitors, which could reduce our sales; our ability to introduce new products and services at profitable pricing levels, which could reduce our sales or sales growth; product development or manufacturing difficulties, which could increase our product development and manufacturing costs and delay sales; cybersecurity events or other disruptions of our information technology systems

Philomena Cunk, aka the hilarious Diane Morgan, is back with a new Netflix special, Cunk On Life

Activating your credit card? Don’t skip the mobile wallet stepShohei Ohtani and wife expecting first child

PARIS: The French government is all but certain to collapse later this week after far-right and left-wing parties submitted no-confidence motions on Monday (Dec 2) against Prime Minister Michel Barnier . Investors immediately punished French assets as the latest developments plunged the euro zone's second-biggest economy deeper into political crisis, with serious doubt cast over whether the annual budget will be approved . "The French have had enough," National Rally (RN) leader Marine Le Pen told reporters in parliament, saying Barnier, who only became prime minister in early September, had made things worse and needed to be pushed out. "We are proposing a motion of no confidence against the government," she said. Barring a last-minute surprise, Barnier's fragile coalition will be the first French government to be forced out by a no-confidence vote since 1962. A government collapse would leave a hole at the heart of Europe, with Germany also in election mode, weeks ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump re-entering the White House. RN lawmakers and the left combined have enough votes to topple Barnier and Le Pen confirmed her party would vote for the left-wing coalition's no-confidence bill on top of the RN's own bill. That vote is likely to be held on Wednesday. The parties announced their no-confidence motions after Barnier said earlier on Monday that he would try to ram a social security bill through parliament without a vote as a last-minute concession proved insufficient to win RN's support for the legislation. "Faced with this umpteenth denial of democracy, we will censure the government," said Mathilde Panot of the left-wing France Unbowed. "We are living in political chaos because of Michel Barnier's government and Emmanuel Macron's presidency." The spread between French bonds and the German benchmark widened further and a sell-off in the euro gathered pace. Since Macron called snap elections in early June , France's CAC 40 has dropped nearly 10 per cent and is the heaviest faller among top EU economies. It closed flat on Monday after dropping over 1 per cent earlier in the day. BLAME GAME Barnier urged lawmakers not to back the no-confidence vote. "We are at a moment of truth ... The French will not forgive us for putting the interests of individuals before the future of the country," he said as he put his government's fate in the hands of the divided parliament which was the result of an inconclusive snap election Macron called in June. Barnier's minority government had relied on RN support for its survival. The budget bill, which seeks to rein in France's spiraling public deficit through 60 billion euros (US$63 billion) in tax hikes and spending cuts, snapped that tenuous link. Barnier's entourage and Le Pen's camp each blamed the other and said they had done all they could to reach a deal and had been open to dialogue. A source close to Barnier said the prime minister had made major concessions to Le Pen and that voting to bring down the government would mean losing those gains. "Is she ready to sacrifice all the wins she got?" the source told Reuters. If the no-confidence vote does indeed go through, Barnier would have to tender his resignation but Macron may ask him and his government to stay on in a caretaker role to handle day-to-day business while he seeks a new prime minister, which could well happen only next year. One option would be for Macron to name a government of technocrats with no political programme, hoping that could help survive a no-confidence vote. In any case, there can be no new snap parliamentary elections before July. As far as the budget is concerned, if parliament has not adopted it by Dec. 20, the caretaker government could invoke constitutional powers to pass it by ordinance. However, that would be risky as there is a legal grey area about whether a caretaker government can use such powers. And that would be sure to trigger uproar from the opposition. A more likely move would be for the caretaker government to propose special emergency legislation to roll over spending limits and tax provisions from this year. But that would mean that savings measures Barnier had planned would fall by the wayside.The morning began with a stunning resignation: Chrystia Freeland announced her resignation as Deputy Prime Minister and head of the Finance department the very day Canada’s Fall Economic Statement (FES) was announced. Only a few journalists stayed until the mini-budget was released in the mid afternoon. Canada’s National Observer stuck it out to bring you the biggest climate takeaways while Canada stares down the threat of a Trump tariff wall. The accelerated investment incentive — a tax credit system that gives businesses a tax break for investments in machinery and equipment — accounts for about three quarters of the new spending in the FES, David Macdonald, senior economist for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, told Canada’s National Observer. The program was developed by Freeland’s predecessor Bill Morneau and was due to ramp down in the coming years. The tax credit is being topped up to a total value of $17 billion over five years starting in 2025-26, up from the $35 million that will be spent this fiscal year, effectively extending the program through the decade. To put it in perspective, the extension is more than 10 times the $1.6-billion GST tax holiday, Macdonald said. The announced fund includes additional green investment with a 100-per-cent tax deduction for climate-friendly machinery and equipment purchases like electric vehicles. But the program also opens the door for further tax breaks for the oil and gas industry, including oil and gas property expenses, according to the FES. “A major beneficiary of it is, generally, the oil and gas sector, one of the biggest capital investors in the country,” Macdonald said. “The equipment that you buy to extract more oil from the oilsands, you can write that off more quickly.” Macdonald questioned whether these measures would insulate the economic shock a Trump tariff regime could bring, arguing that “continued corporate tax break isn’t going to make any difference.” “If there’s a 25-per-cent tariff wall — if that’s the test — I think it’s going to fail pretty badly,” Macdonald said. Instead of an insulator from tariff shocks, he said the fund acts as a “huge gift to the corporate sector.” Methane pyrolysis is now grouped under Ottawa’s investments into clean hydrogen, opening the door to use gas reserves for cleaner fuels. The Clean Hydrogen Investment Tax Credit is a refundable tax credit that supports the cost of eligible equipment used in clean hydrogen production. It is expected to cost $43.5 million over five years, starting in 2025. Support varies between 15 and 40 per cent of eligible expenses based on the hydrogen’s assessed carbon intensity, with projects that produce the cleanest hydrogen receiving the highest levels of support. Methane pyrolysis is a nascent method of splitting methane molecules into solid hydrogen and carbon — which is controversial because, although it reduces emissions, it still releases some and encourages the continued production of gas. A senior finance official told Canada’s National Observer that development of the technology has the potential to replace some of the need for carbon capture, utilization and storage. Equipment used to convert clean hydrogen to ammonia may also be eligible for a 15 per cent tax credit. Labour requirements must be met to receive maximum credit rates. The economic statement included more information about the design and implementation of the Electric Vehicle Supply Chain tax credit to further incentivize Canadian corporations to invest in the growth of Canada’s EV industry. This 10 per cent refundable tax credit would require investment in three segments of the supply chain, including EV assembly, battery production and cathode active material production. To be eligible, corporations will have to acquire at least $100 million dollars in property, which includes buildings, structures and their component parts, eligible for the Clean Technology Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit in EV assembly, battery production and cathode production for a total of $300 million in investment, with some wiggle room for subsidiary companies that do two of the above. The credit will be granted for property which are acquired and in use on or after Jan. 1, 2024. The tax credit will be maintained for nearly a decade before being reduced to five per cent for 2033 and by 2034, it will no longer be in effect. Following the Supreme Court’s decision to deem the federal Impact Assessment Act unconstitutional, Ottawa now intends to change the regulations governing what kinds of projects are subject to a federal assessment. A senior finance official said the changes are “potentially significant” for major projects seeking approvals. Ottawa plans to allow for regulators like the Canada Energy Regulator, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and offshore petroleum boards to be the sole approver of projects, side-stepping the federal impact assessment processes. For example, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission alone could apply for certain brownfield nuclear projects, rather than requiring a federal impact assessment. The federal government will deliver Indigenous loan guarantees through a newly-formed, wholly-owned subsidiary of the Canada Development Investment Corporation. The subsidiary will operate as the Canada Indigenous Loan Guarantee Corporation. Loans will be worth between $20 million and $1 billion and can apply to any sector. Ottawa will be announcing the first Indigenous loan guarantees in the near term. Matteo Cimellaro / Canada’s National Observer / Local Journalism Initiative

Long COVID is snuffing out some patients' dreams of having children, sharpening the pain of loss, grief and medical neglect. When Melanie Broadley and her husband started going out in 2019, like many couples their age they decided to put "starting a family" on the shelf for a few years so they could focus on their careers. A postdoctoral researcher who studies diabetes and psychology, Broadley was 28 and in good health — she had plenty of time, she reasoned. Then, in 2022, she caught SARS-CoV-2 and developed long COVID, blowing up her life as she knew it and, for now at least, her hopes of having a baby. "I became totally disabled by long COVID," says Broadley, 34, who lives at her parents' house in Brisbane. On a good day she struggles with debilitating fatigue that worsens after any kind of physical or mental activity, an autonomic nervous system disorder called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome ( POTS ), which causes her heart rate to spike when she stands up, cognitive dysfunction that means she can't read or write for more than 10 minutes at a time, and an immune disorder, called mast cell activation syndrome , that triggers allergic reactions. Even though she's been doing everything she can to recover, she's still too unwell to cope with a potential pregnancy. And it hurts. "I wasn't ever going to be a young mum but for at least the last three or four years it's definitely been something I've wanted," Broadley says. "When I'm watching a TV show about pregnancy or birth or miscarriage I become emotionally affected — it feels like my drive to have a child is almost biological, it's something I need to do ... So I really worry that if I don't have a kid, it's something I will regret and feel pain about for the rest of my life." For millions of people with long COVID around the world, the pandemic is not just a minor nuisance or a bad memory but a daily waking nightmare. The disabling chronic illness is taking a devastating toll on patients' health, stopping many from working, exercising, socialising and living independently. But long COVID is also snuffing out some patients' dreams of having children, and complicating pregnancy and parenthood for those who choose to conceive despite their symptoms and doubts about when or if they will recover. Partly it's because they are simply too sick to have a baby; some can barely care for themselves, let alone a tiny human. Others worry that pregnancy could worsen their condition and are hoping they'll get better in time to consider conceiving while they still can. But for many, getting good advice about fertility and reproductive health is a stressful, confusing experience that is frequently complicated by a lack of research — and lack of awareness and education among medical practitioners. And it's creating a huge well of uncertainty and sadness, deepening feelings of loss and grief that patients and their families have been nursing privately for years. "So many patients talk about how they've lost the ability to do the things that make them them ... or to contribute to society in ways that feel meaningful, to create," says Beth Pollack, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who studies long COVID, myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) and other infection-associated chronic illnesses. "And for some patients, having a child is another thing that they mourn. But until we sufficiently ... fund comprehensive research that looks at all of the different ways these illnesses impact the body, unfortunately this significant loss will continue." Melanie Broadley recently saw a fertility specialist to talk about her options. Perhaps egg freezing was a possibility — if she could "stop the clock", she thought, she could take some pressure off her long COVID recovery. But her doctor's advice — that she was not well enough to go through several cycles of hormone injections and egg retrieval — took her by surprise. "He said, 'Let's just try to improve your overall health so you can try to fall pregnant naturally'," she says the specialist told her. "I felt slightly annoyed by that. All I've been doing for the last two-and-a-half years is trying to improve my health. The fact is, with long COVID you can be doing everything 'right' and still be completely disabled." She left the appointment feeling numb. "I just felt like I had no good options. I'm aging, and everyone's telling me that's a problem, but I'm sick, and everyone's telling me that's a problem, and I can't control either of those things," Broadley says. "I'm feeling like my only hope to have a child is spontaneous recovery from long COVID but I don't have a lot of faith in that happening." Even though she has seen some improvement in her symptoms lately, she's still stuck in bed for 20 hours a day, still taking 20 pills a day. "So I'm feeling quite deflated, and I'm starting to try to imagine my life without children." Though prevalence estimates vary , some researchers have calculated that at least 65 million people globally are suffering from long COVID, with an Australian study this year finding one in five people were still experiencing persistent symptoms like fatigue, cognitive dysfunction and sleep problems three months after testing positive to the virus. As with other infection-associated chronic illnesses, women — especially pre-menopausal women — are more likely to have long COVID than men, suggesting sex hormones and female immune responses may play a role. Other risk factors include infection severity, pre-existing health problems, genetics, the protective role of vaccination and reinfection . There is no cure and no approved treatments for long COVID, which scientists believe has several possible drivers : viral RNA or protein that lingers in certain tissues, inflammation and immune dysregulation , autoimmunity, blood clotting abnormalities , reactivation of latent viruses , organ damage and disrupted brain stem signalling . Instead, while they wait for the results of clinical trials, patients can only manage their symptoms with medication, supplements, rehabilitation therapies and pacing their activities — often a frustrating, expensive process of trial and error. As for how long COVID affects reproductive health, a literature review by Beth Pollack and her colleagues last year found there was a severe lack of research. Emerging evidence suggests long COVID can affect women's menstrual cycles, ovarian health and fertility, while studies of related and overlapping conditions like ME/CFS, POTS and connective tissue disorders show female patients experience higher rates of menstrual cycle changes, ovarian dysfunction, uterine fibroids and other issues. SARS-CoV-2 may also affect male fertility, with one small study finding men who were infected with the virus had temporarily lower sperm numbers and concentration and others highlighting the potential risk of erectile dysfunction. There's also scant research on pregnancy and long COVID, ME/CFS and POTS, which can make family planning even harder for patients — or at least those who are in a position to consider having a baby. What if pregnancy reduces your already low baseline — not an unreasonable question given up to 10 per cent of patients report that pregnancy triggered their ME/CFS or POTS . Could your illness affect your child's health? Will you fully recover from the stress and strain of labour? What about caring for a newborn, breastfeeding, sleep deprivation? In some studies roughly equal numbers of ME/CFS patients reported that their symptoms improved, stayed the same or got worse during pregnancy, with no clear reasons as to why. But the overall lack of data means there are no evidence-based guidelines , leaving patients, their partners and healthcare providers unable to make informed decisions. "Reproductive health issues are a common and very impactful part of these illnesses," Pollack says. For instance, many women report a significant worsening of their long COVID symptoms in the days before their period, and one small study found more than a third of female ME/CFS patients had endometriosis , which can affect fertility. "It is imperative that we study reproductive health, sex hormone fluctuations, menstrual cycles, reproductive phases and pregnancy within infection-associated chronic illnesses," Pollack says. "There are researchers in the field who very much want to study this and have submitted grant applications ... but it often comes down to who gets funding, what research is funded." In the interim, patients and their doctors are muddling through as best they can. "The question of 'what does long COVID mean for family planning?' has started coming through, especially from women in their 20s, 30s and 40s," says Naomi Whyler, a general medicine and infectious diseases physician at Clinic Nineteen, a long COVID clinic in Australia. She generally talks to patients who are considering having a baby about managing POTS, which can worsen during pregnancy, avoiding crashes with pacing and sleep hygiene, and coming off contraindicated medications well in advance of conceiving. "It can be really hard, especially for first-timers who haven't been through a pregnancy before, to understand what they should expect from pregnancy and then relate that to long COVID," Whyler says. But people with long COVID aren't just stumbling around in the dark with pregnancy. Some patients are running into trouble with common fertility procedures — and the medical practitioners who provide them. For as long as she can remember, Amanda, a white-collar professional who lives in Sydney, has wanted to be a mother. "Every big decision I've made has been about what's going to be best for having kids in the future," she says — which neighbourhoods she moved to, the jobs she applied for, how she'd use her annual leave allowance. "It's always been in the back of my mind that if I don't have a partner by age 34, then I'm just going to go ahead and have a child on my own." Amanda was diagnosed with long COVID, POTS, mast cell activation syndrome and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome — a connective tissue disorder — after she caught the virus in 2022, when she was 32. By the end of the year she'd deteriorated so much that she made an appointment with a fertility specialist, hoping to start the process of conceiving with donor sperm before she got any worse. "I was quite concerned about how pregnancy might affect my health and whether I'd be well enough to look after a baby, especially as a single mother," says Amanda, a pseudonym to protect her privacy. "Ultimately I decided it wouldn't be feasible — by that stage I was housebound so things weren't looking promising, at least for the foreseeable future." Instead, Amanda decided to freeze her eggs — maybe she'd recover enough to use them down the line. She fully expected that the hormone injections would have side effects but they flipped her long COVID symptoms into "a different stratosphere", she says. The retrieval procedure was another challenge. Her medical team weren't familiar with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which makes her joints prone to dislocation, nor were they aware that anaesthesia can cause complications in people with POTS. She put her requests for extra care in writing and went into surgery feeling optimistic. But she woke up in a chair, her head lolled to one side and her shoulder and several ribs partially dislocated, feeling cold, weak and dizzy. "I'm still in a neck brace, 24/7, all these months later." At least the surgery was a success; 16 eggs were collected, which was a huge relief. "But my health definitely took a big knock during that procedure and I've deteriorated quite a lot since then — I've been bed bound since May," Amanda says. Now 35, she's in a kind of limbo, wedged between the uncertainty of whether she'll recover from long COVID and the "ticking clock" of her fertility. "Hopefully there will be more research and eventually better treatments for long COVID and I just hope it will be at a time when it's still viable for me to have a child," she says. "But now I'm just hoping to recover enough that I can meet someone who maybe already has children. That feels like a more realistic goal." Laura Allen is familiar with stories like these — of people with long COVID struggling to find medical practitioners who are educated about their illness and willing to help. Patients in their 30s sometimes reach out for advice on conception and pregnancy and ask "questions we can't answer", says Allen, telehealth manager at Emerge Australia, a support and advocacy organisation for people with ME/CFS and long COVID. But there are few places to refer them to; she isn't aware of any "well informed" obstetric and gynaecology care in Australia. "It's usually the person who lives with the illness who's educating the doctors," she says. It doesn't have to be this way. For decades before long COVID became a serious global health issue people with ME/CFS suffered from a lack of research into their illness and a lack of awareness and education among clinicians — Emerge Australia has described it as " systemic neglect ", a disability access issue. Governments need to take the problem more seriously, Allen says: they need to allocate more funding for clinical guidelines and, crucially, research into effective treatments so that patients can claw back some quality of life, enough energy and support to study or work or raise a family. "I think everyone has the right to have a child," she says. "This is impacting people at age 35 but we've got children coming through who are really sick too. We're looking at a generation who are going to grow up disabled who will eventually hit that age where, potentially, they've lost the right to have kids because ... they've never been given the right research, the right treatments, the right management." There's lots of research starting to happen overseas, Allen adds: "Why isn't that happening in Australia? We aren't a third-world country. We have money. We have capacity. It should be put into health." For Beth Pollack, the long COVID "knowledge gap" is reflective of the research gap — it always takes a while for research to filter through to medical front lines. "But I think it's very important to do [medical education] while we wait for more answers, because there's a lot we do know," she says. For instance, clinicians need to know how to diagnose long COVID and ME/CFS in the first place, she says, how to help patients manage their symptoms and, crucially, to screen for other conditions that commonly co-occur — especially reproductive health conditions. "It's important to screen so we can try to reduce diagnostic delays," Pollack says. "For decades patients have seen specialist after specialist and collected new diagnoses one by one — almost like Pokemon — as they continue to get sicker and sicker." What to do with all this suffering, this grief? Because the mental health consequences of chronic illness — of prolonged sickness, medical neglect, feelings of hopelessness — are serious. Australia's parliamentary inquiry into long COVID heard from dozens of patients, many of them parents, who were deeply frustrated that they were unable to live the life they wanted. "I am 36 and have two small children who I am barely able to parent any longer," said Angela O'Connor, a neuroscientist who couldn't work because of long COVID. "I feel like a crushed shell of a human being who will only become more of a burden to her family and the health system as I age." Father of two Daniel Moore's grief strikes in profound and quiet ways. "My biggest grief from ME is not being able to be the dad I want to be," Moore, 43, wrote on Twitter in 2022. A former social worker who lives in north-east England, Moore has struggled with unrelenting exhaustion, post-exertional malaise and cognitive dysfunction since he developed ME/CFS in 2018, two decades after he recovered from a seven-year bout of the illness as a teenager. His symptoms mean he must "micromanage" his energy and limit his activities; he misses going for walks and playing video games with his children and is constantly trying to find ways to relate to them that won't make him worse. "To lose that ability to go on adventures with them, that was the biggest thing," he says. "All of a sudden my world got smaller, but their world got smaller as well." Sometimes Facebook surfaces old photos of him and his family out and about in the world, before he got sick, catching him off guard. "It's quite painful, because I've had seven years out of my kids' life where I've not been able to do those things, and that also impacts my wife, because we've not been able to do things as a family together," says Moore, who co-hosts a podcast about living and coping with ME/CFS . But this grief, he adds — and the myriad ways long COVID and ME/CFS are splintering patients' lives — too often goes unacknowledged in the broader community. "There's so much focus on the medical side of things, the lack of treatment ... but I don't think there's a lot of conversation about the social side, the relational side — how we live our lives, basically, and people seeing the impact of that." Or the strategies patients are using to get by. Hayley Grant only realised that she might want children after she developed long COVID in 2022. A former primary school teacher who lives in Canberra, Grant, 33, knows she's not well enough right now — managing her heart issues and other symptoms is her priority. It's a major reason she isn't allowing her desire to grow. "I would love a family of my own one day but I don't want to hold onto that idea too tightly as there are a lot of 'ifs' and 'buts' in regards to my health and recovery," she says. "I don't want to have to grieve another thing that long COVID has taken." But this is not just a story of loss and despair. For all the lives up-ended by long COVID and ME/CFS, there are also glimmers of hope — of patients who have the means deciding that they're more comfortable taking a risk than giving up on their dreams. Some have been able to have children only because they have good support from friends, family and doctors who go the extra mile for them. That's not to say it's an easy ride. In the first few months after she developed long COVID in March 2020, Ashleigh Batchelor had serious doubts she was going to survive, let alone that she'd be able to conceive and give birth to a second child. Then 33, Batchelor, who lives in Scotland, struggled with crushing fatigue, POTS, nerve pain that felt like electricity running through her body, breathlessness, muscle tremors and eyesight changes. Unable to work, she lost her job training healthcare workers how to use surgical devices, her car, her health insurance, her fitness, her social life and her sense of self. But she was determined to have another baby, to give her young daughter a sibling. "I think I just got really stubborn," Batchelor, now 37, says. "I was like, long COVID has taken too much, you're not taking this — I will do this." She knew she was rolling the dice, in a way; she was aware her symptoms might improve or get worse with pregnancy. But her GP was supportive of her plans and her family promised to rally for her if she and her husband couldn't cope. "Also, being a mum has always been written into my identity," she says. "I always just knew I wanted a family." Things did get rough. Her pregnancy followed a similar trajectory to her first but all her symptoms were "amplified" and at times her pain and fatigue were overwhelming. And although she received excellent care from some healthcare workers, there were also stressful interactions with others: the obstetrician who tried to derail her plan to have an elective c-section, the midwife who made "dismissive" and "belittling" remarks about long COVID and Batchelor's concerns for her unborn baby's health. But finally, in August 2022, her son arrived — a little miracle. On Instagram she posted a photo of him on her chest, moments after he was delivered, with a triumphant caption: "UP YOURS LONG COVID." Along the way Batchelor created a Facebook page to help other women with long COVID navigate pregnancy and ask questions that often get lost in mainstream patient communities. "Because there are no textbook answers, and doctors don't always have the answers, the only option we have at the moment is to hear from people with lived experience who are happy to share," she says. It would make a big difference, she adds, if long COVID advocacy organisations included basic information about pregnancy in their educational resources: "Even if it's just case studies, ultimately with the line, 'It's a gamble — you just have to weigh up whether that gamble is right for you'." Still today Batchelor struggles with her long COVID symptoms — a weight she says she's better able to carry because she has the "patience and support" of her husband, Graham, who reassures her constantly that they're a team. She can do more than she could when she first got sick but her life is much smaller, much less active. Long COVID also affects her parenting. She can't just walk her kids to the park, for instance, because it drains her energy. "I'm actually even reluctant to take them to the park, or to soft plays, because there's lots of running around and they might fall off this or that," she says. "Even just the sensory overload of soft plays with kids screaming... it's a lot." But she has no regrets. "If anything, my kids have been my purpose, they've been the reason I keep going," she says. "Not to get too deep, but there have been points during long COVID where I've felt suicidal and ... you absolutely do not give that even a moment's thought because you have these two amazing children." Those nine months carrying her son, she adds, are her proudest achievement. "Screw sporting accomplishments, degrees, education, jobs, money earned, climbs to the top of Kilimanjaro — none of that. It's getting through pregnancy with long COVID. It was the most difficult and most rewarding thing I've ever done." Credits Words: Hayley Gleeson Illustrations: Gabrielle Flood ABCAmong the hundreds of bills introduced in every session of the California Legislature, a few deal with what state officials term “tax expenditures,” which requires some explanation. The term refers to provisions in personal and corporate income taxes and sales taxes that exempt specific financial transactions from levies that otherwise would be applied. They have exactly the same fiscal effect as direct appropriations in the budget, which is why they are dubbed “expenditures.” While many loopholes reflect a broad public and political consensus that they serve positive purposes — such as making prescriptions drugs and most grocery store foods tax-free — others provide subsidies to special interests with political clout. My personal favorite among the latter was enacted about 35 years ago at the behest of Silicon Valley interests. It exempted custom computer programs from sales taxes, generally benefiting corporations willing to pay millions of dollars for such software, while continuing to tax off-the-shelf programs such as Quicken or TurboTax purchased by ordinary consumers. It’s certainly not California’s largest tax loophole, costing state and local governments $119 million a year in lost revenue, but it exemplifies the narrow focus of many exemptions. The software loophole estimate comes from an annual report issued by the state Department of Finance that gets scant public, media and political attention even though, as this year’s version confirms, the accumulated effect on state and local government revenues is $107 billion, counting only exemptions of $5 million or more. “The result: California’s $204 billion of estimated General Fund revenues (excluding transfers) in 2024-25 would be roughly 45% greater if there were no personal income, sales and use, or corporate income tax expenditures in state law,” Jason Sisney, a fiscal consultant for the Legislature, says in an analysis of the data. Over time, the number and size of tax expenditures has tended to increase because they often enjoy political support from their beneficiaries, while there’s little or no pressure on governors or legislators to reduce or eliminate those with little or no rational basis, such as the custom software exemption. The legislation creating it was carried by a Silicon Valley legislator, now deceased, known for his laments about the state’s parsimonious attitudes toward vital education, health and social services. What happened a couple of decades ago in the state Board of Equalization, which was then the collector of sales taxes, is another illustration. State law taxes hot prepared foods, such as those served in restaurants, or offered by delis, but exempts cold prepared foods — for reasons lost in antiquity. The owner of a theater chain asked the board to exempt popcorn from the hot food tax, arguing that while it may be warm when purchased, it’s cold by the time theater patrons return to their seats. The board granted the exemption. The new report lists the income tax exemptions for employer-provided medical care and pension contributions, totaling $29 billion in reduced revenues, as California’s two largest tax expenditures. Other personal income tax biggies are exemption of some Social Security benefits ($5.5 billion) and capital gains on inherited properties ($5 billion). The largest corporate income tax provision, valued at $3.1 billion, limits taxation on the revenues of multinational corporations, an issue that has kicked around the Capitol for at least 50 years with several iterations. Among the newer items on the list are income and sales tax credits for motion picture and video production ($213 million) and a sales tax exemption for menstrual products ($28 million) and children’s diapers ($81 million). Each year, the governor and the Legislature spend months negotiating thousands of items in the state budget. With $107 billion at stake, perhaps they should spend some of that time reviewing off-budget tax expenditures. — CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to Commentary .The Booming Agri-Tech Landscape in India India, a country with a robust agricultural backbone, has witnessed a revolutionary wave of innovation in the sector. With the rise of innovative agri-tech startups , farmers are now equipped with cutting-edge technologies to enhance productivity, reduce wastage, and ensure sustainable practices. These startups are not only addressing longstanding challenges in agriculture but are also paving the way for a tech-driven future. Here, we spotlight the top 10 most innovative agri-tech startups in India 2025 that are transforming the agricultural ecosystem. 1. DeHaat DeHaat is a leading name in the agri-tech space, offering end-to-end solutions for farmers. The platform connects farmers with agri-input suppliers, buyers, and advisory services. Key Innovations : AI-driven crop advisory systems Supply chain optimization Real-time data for pest management DeHaat serves over two million farmers across India and is expanding its network rapidly. 2. Ninjacart Focused on streamlining the agricultural supply chain, Ninjacart bridges the gap between farmers and retailers through efficient logistics and data-driven decisions. Why It’s Innovative : IoT-enabled supply chain monitoring Transparent pricing models Reduced food wastage by up to 30% Ninjacart’s innovations ensure that fresh produce reaches consumers in record time. 3. Stellapps Stellapps specializes in dairy technology, providing solutions that enhance milk production, quality, and farmer profitability. Key Features : Smart sensors for cattle monitoring Blockchain-based traceability for milk Analytics for optimizing milk yield Stellapps is empowering dairy farmers to achieve better returns and sustainable practices. 4. CropIn CropIn leverages big data, machine learning, and AI to offer farm management solutions. Its platform helps farmers make data-backed decisions for higher productivity. Core Innovations : Predictive analytics for crop health Satellite monitoring for large-scale farms Customizable farm management apps CropIn’s services have impacted over 16 million acres of farmland globally. 5. AgNext AgNext focuses on quality assessment and traceability of agricultural commodities. Its AI-based solutions ensure fair pricing and transparency for farmers and buyers. What Makes It Unique : AI-enabled commodity grading Advanced spectrometry tools Blockchain for quality and origin verification AgNext is a game-changer in ensuring fair trade practices. 6. Bijak Bijak is an agri-tech startup addressing inefficiencies in the agricultural trade process. It provides a digital platform for buyers and sellers to connect seamlessly. Key Innovations : Digital trust score for traders Real-time payment tracking Simplified trade documentation With Bijak, farmers and traders experience improved transparency and efficiency in transactions. 7. Fasal Fasal empowers farmers with real-time insights on weather, irrigation, and crop health through its IoT-based platform. Key Features : Precision farming solutions AI-driven irrigation advisory Pest and disease prediction models Fasal’s technology has reduced water usage by up to 50% in partner farms. 8. Gramophone Gramophone is a farmer-centric platform offering agronomy advice, high-quality inputs, and a marketplace for agricultural produce. Why It’s Innovative : Mobile-based personalized crop advisory AI-driven recommendations for input usage Efficient last-mile delivery logistics Gramophone’s efforts have directly benefited thousands of smallholder farmers. 9. TartanSense TartanSense builds small agricultural robots equipped with AI and computer vision to assist in farm operations like weeding and spraying. Key Innovations : Autonomous robots for precision farming Reduced pesticide usage by over 80% Affordable robotics for small-scale farmers TartanSense is making high-tech solutions accessible to every farmer. 10. BharatAgri BharatAgri simplifies farm management with its subscription-based service offering customized crop plans and expert guidance. Core Features : AI-powered crop calendar Cost and yield optimization tools 24/7 farmer support helpline BharatAgri’s services ensure higher yields and reduced operational costs for its subscribers. How These innovative agri-tech startups Are Shaping the Future The success of these innovative agri-tech startups stems from their ability to address pressing challenges such as low productivity, supply chain inefficiencies, and climate change. By leveraging technologies like AI, IoT, and blockchain, innovative agri-tech startups are not only improving farm profitability but also ensuring food security for a growing population. Key Trends to Watch in innovative agri-tech startups : Conclusion The top 10 most innovative agri-tech startups in India 2025 are leading the charge in revolutionizing agriculture. By integrating technology with traditional farming, these startups are empowering farmers, improving supply chains, and driving sustainability. As we move towards a tech-enabled future, these innovative agri-tech startups will play a pivotal role in shaping India’s agricultural landscape.